Pole boot



Nov. 22, 1955 s w 2,724,156

POLE BOOT Filed Sept. 4, 1952 Fl l. F1 4.

\ INVENTOR Hands Shaw ATTORNEY United States Patent POLE BOOT 7 Francis B. Shaw, Washington, D. C.

Application September 4, 1952, Serial No. 307,779 4 Claims. (Cl. 20-100 This invention relates generally to the preservation of standing wooden poles, such as telegraph, telephone and electric power poles, by protecting the base thereof for a distance immediately above and below the ground line, andmore particularly to a pole boot of new and improved construction and method to be employed for sealing the butt of the pole therein.

i As is well known the life of a wooden pole is dependent on the rate of rotting at the ground level to a distance of a foot or two below the surface. The tendency to decay in the case of telegraph poles, telephone poles and the like and in fact all wood structures which come in contact with the elements, such as soil, water, or any combination thereof, or are exposed to the action of termites, teredoes, and other wood destroying insects or borers is well known. fore been employed as a preservative of the pole, such Various treatments have heretotreatments comprising coal tar or wood tar derivatives which are forced into the wood under high pressure after vthe wood has been previously prepared by steaming; :the open tank method in which the wood is submerged :in a hot preservative to expand the air in the wood cells and thereafter subjected to a vacuum and changing to .a cold preservative to cause the preservative to be drawn into the cells; and. by a superficial treatment in which the hot preservative is merely applied tothe wood by a "brush or spray. The pressure method requires the pole timbers to be treated throughout their entire length whereas with the open tank process a considerable length of the pole below the ground belt line is also treated needlessly. These treatments are more costly thanthe superficial treatments and necessitates the transportation otfall poles to a central location for treatment and thereafter shipping them to the places where they are to be set up in the ground. All of the foregoing methods of treatment involve expensive operations and expensive treatingplants which in addition to the costs of transportation of the poles to and from such treating plants result in considerable additional cost.

The present invention possesses all of the advantages of the prior art methods for preserving poles at their juncture with the ground and none of the foregoing disadvantages. Y i

In accordance with the present invention I provide a tough flexible close-fitting boot disposed about the butt portion of a wooden. pole and composed of waterproof material suitable for the purpose such, for example, as a plastic material, rubber and the synthetic varieties thereof and having an end wall covering the butt end otherwise flow into the boot through the checks. Also, if desired, the pole may be provided with a metal cap extending across the bottom surface thereof and enclosed by the boot whereby the weight of the pole is transmitted to the bottom wall of the boot through a uniform flat surface on the cap. In like manner a metal or fiber cap may be placed on the end of the pole over the boot to prevent the boot from being cut by a sharp object such as a stone.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a new and improved pole boot composed of tough resilient waterproof material possessing the qualities of long life, ruggedness, and waterproofing.

Another of the objects is to provide a pole boot composed of plastic material suitable for the purpose and means for clamping the boot in sealed relation to the pole near the upper end of the boot. I

Still another object is to provide a pole boot having means at the upper end thereof for receiving and retaining a quantity of sealing compound.

A further object is to provide a pole boot adapted to be sealed to the pole above the ground line and in which a metal cap is employed to effect a uniform pressure surface between the pole and the bottom of the boot when the pole has been planted,

A still further object is to provide a new and improved method for preserving a wooden pole at the junctureof the pole with the ground both at the surface thereof and for a distance therebeneath whereby a quantity of inert fluid is trapped in sealed relationship with the butt of the pole and the checks or cracks in the pole are sealed-above the fluid level.

Still other objects, advantages and improvements will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing of which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation and partially broken away of a pole boot in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a View in perspective of a cap suitable for use with the pole boot of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a view partially broken away and partially in section of the cap of Fig. 2 in position on the pole and enclosed by the boot;

Fig. 4 is a View of a poleboot partially broken away in accordance with an alternative form of the invention, and i Fig. 5 is a view illustrating a method of forcing a quantity of sealing compound into the boot to seal all checks or cracks in the pole sufiiciently to prevent the entry of moisture into the boot.

Referring now to thedrawing for a. more complete understanding of the invention on which like numerals of reference are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, there is shown thereon a pole boot indicated generally by the reference numeral ltt disposed about the 'butt of a wooden pole 11 and clamped thereto at a point above the ground level by a clamp or band 12. The clamp is tightened about the boot in any suitable manner as by the bolt 13 and nut 14 sufficiently to effect a watertight seal .therebetween. The boot is provided at the upper end thereof with a flange 15 and at the lower end thereof with a bottom or end wall portion 16 preferably of greater thickness than the sidewall portion of the boot. Preferably through not necessarily the boot is provided with a cap 29 composed of metal, fiber or the like and fitted exteriorly thereto to protect the boot from damage by any sharp object. The boot is composed of material suitable-for the purpose such, for example, as a plastic in accordance'with a preferred embodiment of the invention although it will be understood that, if desired, various rubber, synthetic and artificial rubber and rubber-like products and compounds may be vulcanized or used in combination with or to replace rubber in whole or in part, the permissible extent of such addition or replacement being limited only insofar as such substitutes undesirably affect the desired physical and waterproofing properties of the boot. In the specification and claims, wherever applicable, the term rubber compound is employed in a generic sense to define compounds of rubber and/ or synthetic or artificial rubber, and rubber substitutes and rubber-like products, including the various other compounding ingredients and wax-like substance or substances employed, and the term vulcanized is employed in a generic sense to define'any process or curing treatment of the foregoing rubber compounds to cause them to have and maintain in service the necessary physical characteristics to render the same suitable for use as a pole boot of the character disclosed.

The term plastic is employed herein in a generic sense to define a material that contains as an-essential ingredient an organic substance of large molecular weight, is solid in its finished state, and at some stage in its manufacture or in its processing into finished articles, may be shaped by flow. i

Also, if desired, a suflicient quantity of inert liquid may be poured into the boot before inserting the pole therein to fill all checks which may be present in that portion of the pole disposed within the boot or, if desired, the inert liquid may be forced into the boot after the pole has been planted in the ground by inserting a suitable nozzle between the boot and the pole and thereafter forcing the inert liquid through the nozzle. After removal of the nozzle the boot is securely clamped at the upper portion thereof to the pole as by the clamp 12 and in watertight relation therewith.

On Fig. 2 is shown a cap 17 preferably composed of metal and having a cylindrical portion 18 and a flat base portion 19, the cylindrical poriton being sutficiently large to extend over and about the butt end of the pole.

On Fig. 3 is shown the cap 17 arranged on the end of the pole 1.1 and enclosed within the boot 10. By employing a cap in the manner disclosed the weight of the pole is applied to the base portion of the boot by a contact area having a uniform flat surface. It will, of course, be understood that in service a copious supply of boots and caps of different sizes will advantageously be maintained wherehaving butts of different diameters are planted.

On Fig. 4 is shown a pole boot 21 in accordance with an alternative form of the invention disposed about the pole 22 having a check or crack 23 therein and extending downwardly from a position above the boot to a position within the boot. The boot 21 is generally similar to the pole boot 10 but differs from the pole bolt 10 in the provision of an outwardly extending flanged portion 24 dis posed above the clamp 12 adapted to receive and retain a quantity of sealing compound 25 suitable for the purpose of effecting a watertight seal between the check and the boot. The compound may be composed of any of the petroleum products suitable for the purpose such as crude oil or it may comprise a bituminous product. The sealing compound shall have such viscosity for the compound to fill the crack in the pole at the juncture of the pole with the boot and effect a permanent watertight seal therebetween.

Referring now to Fig. there is shown thereon a nozzle 26 connected to a source of pressure 27 for applying a quantity of sealing compound to the boot of Fig. 1. In this arrangement the nozzle 26 is inserted between the flange 15 and the pole 11 after the band 12 has been tightened whereby the sealing compound is forced under pressure within the annular space formed by the pole and boot between the flange and the clamp sufliciently to fill all checks such as the check 28 illustrated and effectively seal the upper portion of the boot to the pole.

It will be understood that the inert fluid may, if desired,

' 4 be introduced into the boot before the band 12 is tightened and after the pole has been planted in the ground by employing a nozzle similar to the nozzle 26 illustrated and of sufficient length to extend a substantial distance downwardly into the boot and thereafter forcing the inert fluid into the boot through the nozzle. When a sufiicient quantity of fluid has thus been introduced into the boot the nozzle is removed and the band 12 is tightened.

The term inert liquid as employed herein may be de fined as a liquid possessing the property of not attacking either the material of which the boot is composed or the wooden pole disposed therein.

by the proper size will be instantly available when poles It will also be understood that the cap 17 of Fig. 2 may, if desired, be employed with the boot 21 of Fig. 4 and furthermore that the method of filling the boot with an inert liquid by employing a pressure nozzle in the manner disclosed after the pole has been planted is equally applicable to the boot 10 of Fig. l or the pole boot 21 of Fig. 4. Furthermore, if desired, a metal or fiber cap or socket may be advantageously employed between the bottom of the boot and the excavated hole within which the pole and boot are placed. In such a case the cap may be fitted exteriorly on the end of the boot before the pole is planted.

While the invention has been described with reference to two examples thereof which give satisfactory results, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is my intention, therefore, in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

What I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A tough flexible waterproof pole boot composed of plastic material and having a well formed therein adapted to receive the butt of said pole in nested relation when the pole is inserted therein, a quantity of inert fluid within said Well sufiicient to expel all air therefrom when the pole is disposed therein, means encircling the boot just above the surface of the ground in which the pole and boot are planted for hermetically sealing said fluid within the well, and means forming an annular receptacle on said boot encircling the pole just above said fluid sealing means, said receptacle being adapted to receive and retain a quantity of sealing compound suflicient to seal all checks on the pole extending downwardly within the boot.

2. The process of preserving the butt of a standing wooden pole from decay which comprises the stepsof placingthe butt in a cylindrical flexible waterproof boot having a quantity of inert liquid therein, planting the pole and boot in a standing position with a portion of the boot extending above the surface of the ground, sealing said boot to the pole just above the surface of the ground, and hermetically sealing said liquid within said boot by applying a sealingcompound between the boot and pole just above the first named seal.

3. A tough plastic resilient flexible pole boot of the character disclosed for protecting and preserving the. butt of a wooden pole planted in the ground and comprising a cylindrical portion of uniform thickness and a flat base portion of greater thickness'than said cylindrical portion, in combination, a quantity of inert liquid disposed within the boot, means for sealing the boot to the pole at the upper cylindrical portion thereof thereby to retain said liquid within the boot and prevent the entrance of moisture therein, and a metal cap arranged exteriorly about said boot in abutting relation with said base portion and having sufiicient strength and rigidity to prevent damage to said boot when the poleis planted and while the pole is in a standing position.

4. A claim according to claim 3 further characterized by a metal cuplike member fitted about the butt of the pole and disposed within the boot in contiguous spaced relation to said cap.

References Cited 11 112116 file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Bitting Iune 6, 1922 Beard Nov. 12, 1929 Clapshaw Mar. 1, 1938 Schmittutz Dec. 6, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 19, 1847 Great Britain n 1872 France Feb. 10, 1908 

